15 years
by Rumpelstiltskin-wait
Summary: After that night at the town line Belle finds out she's pregnant. 15 years later, with the curse broken, Belle is battling illness, and Jane is looking for her father. When she finds him on a subway in New York, can she convince him to return to Storybrooke? And can they find a way to be a family?
1. Chapter 1

Rumplestiltskin is sitting on the subway when he notices her.

There's a girl sitting opposite him a few seats down. She's thin, _too thin_ he thinks idly. Her dark auburn -painfully familiar- hair falls around her face shielding it from his view, and suddenly he stops breathing.

_No. Don't be stupid. It couldn't be._ He mentally scolds himself.

_It's been over 15 years, why would she ever come now?_

It had been 15 years and 6 months to be exact. He hates that he still counts, but not enough to stop.

_You complete __**idiot!**__ It's not her. She would look different by now. Besides she doesn't lov-_

He was startled out of his thoughts by a quiet sob coming from the small figure as she pulled her knees to her chest. She was crying. Not just crying; she was sobbing. None of the few other passengers paid her any mind as her body was wracked with another sob. He couldn't stand it; that was just too familiar a sight for him to ignore.  
>Rumplestiltskin gripped the curved handle of his cane just a little too tight as he made his way to the sobbing stranger.<br>_  
>This is a bad idea.<em>

He didn't have to walk more than 10 feet, but his ankle was already throbbing when he cautiously sat a few feet away from the girl.  
><em><br>This is such a bad idea.  
><em>  
>He leans his cane between his knees, resting his hands on the wooden handle, worn smooth by years of constant use.<p>

"uh.." He hesitated. He was hit with the memory of what Belle had told him so many years ago, _"Heroes always help strangers". _He sighed deeply and turned towards the still sobbing girl.

"Uh…are you…are you okay?"

She raised her head toward him and he gasped.  
>Sad cerulean eyes stared back at him. It wasn't her, he realized with a pang of disappointment. It wasn't Belle. Had he really thought it would be?<p>

"No. N-not really." She wiped tears on her sleeve, leaving black smears on her cream sweater from the small amount of black makeup surrounding her eyes. She looked exactly like what he would imagine Belle looked like as a teenager; thin and a bit lanky, but beautiful. When the girl shifted further away and eyed him suspiciously he realized he'd been staring at her.

"I uh…I'm sorry. You just look a lot like someone I used to know" his gaze shifted to the fingers that were anxiously turning the ring on his left hand. He had never taken it off, 15 years and he couldn't recall one time that he had taken it off. The first week in New York he had sold anything of any value, his gold cufflinks and tie clip, his silk tie, even his silk handkerchief had gotten him a small amount of money. Several pawnshops and antique stores had offered to buy the ring. The money probably would have done him well, but he couldn't even bring himself to take his wedding ring off, let alone sell it.

"Do you mind me asking why you're so upset?" He looked back up at the girl, awaiting an answer.

"I- no…no it's fine." She dropped her feet back to the ground and ran a shaky hand through her hair. "My mom is uh- she's sick." Her voice faltered at the last word and fresh tears threatened to fall, but she managed to compose herself enough to continue. "She needs-"She paused, closing her eyes for a moment, looking for the right words. "I'm trying to find someone."

This girl couldn't be more than 15 or 16, and she was on a subway, alone, at night, telling a complete stranger about her sick mother. The parent in him kicked in.

"Did you run away?" He questioned.

Her eyes widened with what could only be fear. "Please don't tell anyone- I-I have to find him. I can't-I can't let her die without-"She sputtered, a frantic sob escaping her lips as she stared at him with wide, pleading eyes.

"Hey, hey it's ok. I won't tell anyone." He reassured, trying to comfort her without actually touching her. "I had to find someone here once too."

"R-really?" she had relaxed slightly, but she was still fighting the tears that weren't relenting, and struggling to breathe steadily.

"Yes…a long time ago. And I recall that it was a lot easier to find who I was looking for when I had help." He said, his lips turning up slightly. "What's your name?"

"I-my name is J-Jane" She said warily. If he was her he would be wary too, he wouldn't expect anyone to trust him very quickly after all.

"That's a lovely name" A smile found its way to his eyes. "Now, Jane. Who is it that you're looking for? I may be able to help" He didn't know if that was true, but he would certainly try. He had only known the girl for all of 10 minutes, but he felt a strange connection with her and for whatever reason, he didn't want to let her down.

"I'm looking for my dad…He uh-I've never met him. But my mom misses him. Every day. I can tell. The way she talks about him…" She trailed off, gazing at the seat opposite her. "She needs to see him before- _If _she doesn't get better I just wanted to-"She was at a loss for words. "He needs to know." She finally said with a long shaky sigh. His heart ached for her. She had grown up without a father -not unlike his own son- and now she could possibly lose her mother. There was a long pause before she spoke again. "so…do you think you could help me…mister-"

"Gold…You can call me Mr. Gold" He answered her unspoken question. He turned to her and was surprised to see her staring at him with wide eyes. She spoke before he could question.

"_What's your first name?!" _She blurted, obviously more forcefully than she had meant to, a hand flew to cover her mouth.

"uhh- It's just Mr. Gold." He hadn't meant to make it sound like a question, but now she was looking at him with an unreadable mixture of emotions. Fear? Sadness? _Hope? _Yes there was definitely hope.

"Sorry...it's just...never mind." She looked at her hands for a beat, then back at him, "my mom's name is Belle. Belle Gold.".

It took a moment for him to process her words.  
><em>Belle. <em>Her mother's name was Belle Gold. That could not be a coincidence. His head was pounding as hard as his heart as it beat out of his chest. A lump in his throat was preventing him from replying, and tears were blurring his vision as he fought to keep them from his cheeks.

That was all Jane needed.

"Rumplestiltskin?" Tears were stinging her own eyes once again.

He couldn't speak. He could hardly breathe. All he could do was nod. Nod and smile a tearful smile at the equally tearful girl in front of him.

"Rumplestiltskin… I believe I'm your daughter."

He felt faint. So many thoughts crowded his mind, yet there were only two things he could focus on

_**He has a daughter. **_

_**And Belle is waiting for them to come home. **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**He has a daughter.**_

_**And Belle is waiting for them to come home. **_

The moments immediately following their realization were spent in silence, apart from shaky breaths and the occasional sniffle. Rumples mind was spinning. There were so many things he wanted to ask her. About Belle, about herself, about their life; but he had to start somewhere.

"So…you're my…my uh…" In his nearly 300 year he had amassed quite the vocabulary, and yet, he couldn't find the word. _Offspring? Spawn? Progenitor?_

"Daughter?"

_Was that a hint of snark? _"Right, yes…Daughter." He hadn't meant to flinch at the last part, he really hadn't. But he certainly wasn't expecting to find out he had a daughter on his way home from work.

"You don't sound very happy about that," Jane muttered, turning her gaze back to the seat across from her.

"No! No. I _am _happy." He paused, taking a deep breath and turning toward Jane. "But you have to understand this is a bit of a shock. Less than five minutes ago I found out I have…_a_ _daughter" _This time he didn't flinch at the word. Quite the contrary, he smiled. "_I'm a father," _he breathed, not so much for Jane's benefit as much as to convince himself. "_You're my daughter." _He smiled again, this time letting it reach his eyes, and cautiously covered her small hand with his larger one.

"Yeah…I am." She smiled at their hands.

Rumple jumped slightly when she let out a small chuckle, and looked up to see new tears forming in her eyes. "Jane?"

"Sorry sorry…" she mumbled, hastily wiping her eyes –and her makeup- with the back of her free hand. "It's just that when I was little I used to see other kids holding their dad's hand…I always wondered what that was like." A few more tears formed, but she didn't wipe them away, instead she smiled and let them roll off her cheeks.

_Happy tears. _He realized when she looked up from their hands and smiled again.

Rumple looked down at his cane. He had missed watching his child grow up, _again. _  
>"I'm sorry. Gods I'm so, so sorry I wasn't there I-" There was that lump in his throat again, threatening to stop him from saying what needed to be said; but he furrowed his brow and continued. "It's my fault you grew up without a father. I wish I could have been there to hold your hand…to be your father." He closed his eyes to stop another wave of tears to break free.<p>

"You didn't even know I existed," she reassured.

"Still…" his eyes were trained on his cane again, he briefly imagined burning the blasted thing with a burst of magic, but he quickly shook the thought from his mind. _Don't even think like that. Magic is what got me here in the first place. Magic is why I lost Be-_

Rumple was shaken from his thoughts as the subway –which he had at this point completely forgotten about- came to a halt.

"Oh." Was all he said. _Wait. She's going to have to stay with me. Will she want to stay with me? I'm certainly not letting her go off into New York in the middle of the night!_

"Well…I guess I'm staying with you then?" Jane asked hopefully, breaking his train of thought. _Is that weird? Should I have said that? What if he doesn't want me to stay with him? I've only known him for like 10 minutes. I know he's not dangerous but- Oh god this is conflicting. _

"Only if you're comfortable with it of course…I won't have you wandering around New York in the middle of the night. If you don't want to stay with me I'm sure we can find a motel room, or a hotel if you'd rather that, or-" He was babbling. _Since when does Rumplestiltskin babble? _He thought bitterly. _I guess since he found out he has a daughter. Gods…I have a daughter. _

"As long as you're ok with it…I would really rather stay with you" Jane replied quietly. Silently, she hoped this would give them a chance to get to know each other a little before they went back to Storybrooke, if he would agree to come back at all. But that was just another subject for later, right now Rumplestiltskin was pulling himself from the plastic seat –with the help of his cane- and gesturing for her to do the same.

"Well, follow me," he declared with a miniscule smile.

They must have walked in silence for at least a few minutes before Rumple stopped in front of a run-down apartment building. "I must warn you I haven't had company in a long while. Or ever, come to think of it. And the place isn't exactly homey, but there's a couch you can sleep on…or I can sleep on the couch if you'd prefer to sleep in bed, or-"

He cut himself off; he _really _needed to stop babbling. "You know what…I think I'll just let you figure that out yourself," he stated, continuing into the building and pulling a key out of his dress pants pocket.

Jane had only just registered that he was wearing a _very_ worn looking four-piece suit, and the more she thought about it the sadder it made her.

Her mother had never refused to tell her about her father whenever she would ask –which was often. The topic of how her father dressed had come up quite a few times. Once when Jane was nearly six, Belle was helping her pick out clothes for school the next day and Jane had wondered aloud what her papa would have chosen. Belle, ever shielding her pain from her daughter, had only smiled and told Jane that she probably wouldn't be comfortable in a suit and tie. Jane had only giggled at that, but still she wondered how her papa dressed.

The last time the topic came up had been a little over a year ago. Her mother had been having a particularly hard day and had gotten misty eyed at seeing Henry dressed in a suit for work at the pawn shop. Jane had noticed tears in his own eyes when Belle hugged him and said with a sad smile "Dressed impeccably, just like your grandpa." Later, when Jane was sure her mother wasn't going to burst into tears, she had asked why she was having such a rough day. Belle quietly explained that it would have been their 14th wedding anniversary. That seemed like a good reason, considering.

"And dad liked to wear suits…" Jane had started carefully, not knowing how far she should go.

"Mhm…yes. Almost never took them off actually! If you didn't know better you'd think he slept in his waist-coat!" To Jane's relief, her mother had laughed at the memory instead of crying again.

The man she saw now barely resembled the impeccably dressed, put together man her mother had described. His suit looked well worn, probably more than a few years old. His black leather shoes were scuffed to the point there was no shine left, and his almost completely gray hair looked in serious need of a trim. This man simply looked tired and worn. At first glance you would think he was worn by age, but his eyes told a different story. This man –her father, was worn by pain. Probably more pain than anyone should have to endure. She was completely absorbed in her thoughts when a gentle tug on her arm brought her back to earth.

"Is everything ok? You were miles away," Rumple asked gently

"Oh. Sorry…yeah I'm fine. Just thinking." She smiled, hoping he wouldn't notice the touch of pity in her voice.

He gave her questioning look, and then turned back to the door they had stopped in front of. "Well this is it…It's not much, but it does the job," he stated, swinging open the dark green door and stepping inside.

It _really _wasn't much. The first thing she saw was what she guessed was supposed to be a living room. There was an old –but clean- couch facing nothing in particular, and a small bookshelf in the corner. _No TV, _she noted. Looking around she saw a small kitchen with nothing more than a stove, a refrigerator, a microwave, and a sink, and at the other end of the room there was a door to what she figured was either a bedroom or a bathroom. There weren't many trinkets or personal belongings that she could see, other than several books stacked in the bookshelf. He was right, it definitely wasn't homey. "What do you _do?_" She questioned, turning in a circle to face him again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rumple gasped, and she almost thought he was genuinely offended until an amused grin spread across his face.

"I didn't mean it like _that..._" she began, dropping her backpack near the couch and making her way towards the small bookshelf in the corner. "I just meant it really doesn't look like anyone even lives here…I mean what do you for fun?" she continued, picking up one of the books and examining its cover.

"Fun?" Why did she want to know what he did for fun? Did he even do things for fun anymore?

"Yes _fun. _Everybody has to have fun!" She turned quickly to face him, book still in hand.

"Ehh…I read? I go to a museum sometimes…well I work at the museum. But I walk around it once in a while," he was fidgeting with his ring again…why did this girl make him so uncomfortable!? _She's so much like her mother. _He inwardly smiled at the memory of Belle in his castle, _constantly _wanting to know more about him, _constantly _making him uncomfortable with her _constant _nearness. Yes, it had made him uncomfortable, but he still cherished every moment of their time together in his castle, _their _castle. Well…the good moments anyway. Other moments he wished he could go back and change, but that didn't matter now, because their daughter was standing in front of him and she wanted to get to know her father.

"Ooh, so I get my obsession with books from both sides huh?" she said, flipping to a random page of the musty old hard cover and running a finger over the words.

"Ha! No no, that's definitely _all _your mother. I'm sure you know all about how much she loves her books," he replied as he settled himself onto the old couch in the center of the room. Moments later Jane took a seat at the opposite end with the book she had been examining and a sad smile on her face.

"She does love her books…" She settled the book in her lap and began nervously picking at the edges as she continued. "She doesn't make it into the library very much now…sometimes it'll be weeks."

Rumple didn't know what to make of that...Before, Belle wouldn't have gone more than two days without checking on the library and bringing home a new book! _What possibly could have changed that she would go weeks without a new book?_ And that's when he remembered. Before any of this happened, when Jane was just a lost girl sitting on the subway, she had told him her mother was sick. Her mother was dying.

Her mother was Belle.


	3. Chapter 3

**Quick note! It's so strange to me that so many people are enjoying this story, and wanting to know what's going to happen next! It's really an awesome feeling, so thank you guys so so much!  
>I'm really proud of this chapter, I think it's my favorite so far. <em>Anyway. <em> I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it!  
>(Also, thank you so SO much Abby, for being my amazing beta and catching all my silly mistakes *mwah*)<br>**

Rumple didn't know how long they sat in silence, his mind racing, before he was finally able to ask about Belle. He was afraid to say anything, knowing he wouldn't like what he was going to hear. On the subway, Jane had said her mother was dying. He didn't want to hear that. He didn't want that to be true. But Jane had said it herself before she even knew who he was, "_He needs to know_." So he sat, and he listened, and he stopped trying to fight the tears that were pouring down his cheeks as his daughter explained why her mother, and his true love, was dy-…unwell.

Through the heavy fog clouding his mind, and the low ringing in his ears, he was able to get the gist of what he was hearing. Judging by the ease with which Jane spoke, it was obvious she had said the same words too many times to count. Rumple didn't understand most of her seemingly extensive medical vocabulary, but he understood enough.

Jane slowly explained that a little less than a year ago, after almost a month of extreme pain in her left leg and three doctors telling her it was nothing, Belle finally found a doctor that was willing to listen to her concerns. She was sent for x-rays the same day, and they showed exactly what this doctor suspected. The bones of her left leg were being attacked by a rare form of bone cancer called Osteosarcoma. After another slew of tests, and agonizingly waiting for the results of said tests, she was told that it was "localized" and it could be removed; but of course it wouldn't be that easy.

Soon after her diagnosis, Belle was started on chemotherapy –an extra precaution before surgery.

"It was so bad…" Jane said, shaking her head as she stared at the book in her lap, tracing the twisted vines of gold-leaf with the tip of her finger. "You probably already know, but mom was never sick…I can only remember like two times I'd seen her throw up from the flu."

Rumple nodded and looked down at his hands, remembering the one time in all of their years together that he had seen Belle sick. She had gotten food poisoning from that ridiculous little hole-in-the-wall Italian place that no one in Storybrooke ever seemed to go to. He had sat with her on the floor of their bathroom and held her hair as she emptied her stomach into the toilet. The sight of her in such discomfort and knowing he would have to let it run its course had felt like a punch to the gut, but he'd tended to her as best he could until she was well again. _That must have been the reason no one ate there._ Rumple mused, before looking back to Jane for her to continue.

"After she started the chemo…God…I'd never seen her like that. She was sick every day. She started losing her hair. She was so weak...She just looked _defeated_. I've seen a lot of crazy things, but nothing ever scared me more than that." She looked up at Rumple then, who was staring at his hands, tears flowing freely from his eyes and dripping into his upturned palms.

"It's my fault," He breathed, closing his eyes. "If I'd have come back…If I wasn't such a coward, maybe I could have stopped it…saved her."

"No…you couldn't have stopped it; we tried. The price would have been too much, she wouldn't let us."

Rumple let out a kind of strangled chuckle at that. "Of course she wouldn't…stubborn woman." He closed his eyes and drew in a shaky breath, composing himself, before his brows knit and he turned his attention back to Jane. "What do you mean "we"? Who exactly is "we"?" he questioned

"Ah yeah…that would be Emma and…me." She practically whispered the last word, her bottom lip quivering as she waited for his response to yet more unexpected news.

"You-you have…You have magic?" he said leaning closer, nearly choking on his shock

"Well not right now obviously…"land without magic" and all…but being the product of true love happens to come with some pretty great light magic," Jane replied with just a hint of mirth, wiggling her fingers out in front of her.

"You'll have to tell me about that later," Rumple smirked. "But right now, Belle," he said, his face sobering again.

"Right…" Jane mumbled, toying with the edges of the book again. "Well…she went through chemo for 2 months. Then they did a surgery that was supposed to remove the cancerous part of the bone, but after that and another six months of chemo, and they found more cancer in the tissue around the bone…" She paused, looking to Rumple to take gauge his reaction so far.

"_Go on_…" he urged, running a hand through his hair, attempting in vain to calm the anxiety clawing at him from the inside out.

"You aren't going to like what I'm about to tell you…" Jane warned, her expression serious, as if she was giving him a choice.

But he didn't have a choice, and even if he did, he'd choose Belle. God knows he should have done that long ago. "Dearie, I haven't _liked_ anything you've told me so far…" He paused for a moment, breathing in and out through his nose. "_Jane_…_I need to know_."

Jane sighed deeply, and turned her gaze once again to the gold-leaf edges of the book in her lap. "After…after they found more cancer…they told us they would continue chemo, but there was no guarantee that it would work…so she made the hard choice."

Rumple noticed that she took an overly deep, slow breath through her nose, obviously steeling herself for whatever she was about to say. So he braced himself as best he could, for the absolute worst.

"She…she decided to have her leg…amputated. That was a month ago." Jane sighed, as though some great weight had been lifted.

"What…" Rumple blinked.

"She had her leg amputated. Removed. Cut off. It's gone," Jane said, a hint of an annoyed tone creeping its way into her otherwise calm voice.

"That's it?"

"What do you mean 'That's it'?! She lost her leg! That's kind of a huge deal!" Jane snapped, standing from her seat on the couch.

"Jane…" Rumple said softly, rising from his seat to stand next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Do you honestly think I place the value of a _leg_ above that of a _life_? Above the life of the woman I love? Jane as long as your mother is alive I wouldn't care if she had no arms or legs, or grew a tail, as long as she's _alive_." He added with a small smile, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze before releasing it.

"So you _do_ love her?" Jane asked, her voice just above a whisper.

"Gods, of course I love her!" Rumple responded, flopping back down on the couch. "I never stopped loving her…"

"Then you'll come back with me? To Storybrooke?" Jane asked carefully.

Rumple visibly tensed at that. "I don't know if I sho-"

"You should. You love her and she loves you. All you have to do is come back with me…"

"It's not that simple…The last time we saw each other…" Rumple trailed off, running a hand down his face. "I doubt she wants to see me…"

Jane _scoffed_..._and_ rolled her eyes.

_I know where she got that. _Rumple mused, almost smirking at the thought.

"You know Aunt Ruby right?" Jane asked, arms crossed, staring down at Rumple.

"_Aunt_ Ruby?"

She rolled her eyes again. "Do you know Ruby or not?"

"Yes…Belle and Ruby were very close. I'm guessing they still are if you call her 'Aunt Ruby'," Rumple shrugged, "But what does she have to do with this?"

"Well…right before my mom's surgery –the amputation- I overheard her talking to Ruby."

***One month ago in StoryBrooke***

"Ruby, I'm so scared," Belle breathed, gripping her friends hand tighter.

"I know…listen honey, everything is going to go fine. Dr. Stevenson has done the same surgery a dozen times; he knows what he's doing," Ruby assured, laying herself next to Belle on the wide hospital bed and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Yeah…I know. And I want this; I know this is the best choice. It's not that, it's just…never mind, it's ridiculous," Belle replied, snuggling closer to rest her head on Ruby's shoulder.

"Belle you know you can tell me anything. What's going on?" Ruby said, leaning forward and turning to look at her friend.

"I know I shouldn't still feel like this…I know I shouldn't miss him…" Belle began. Ruby nodded slowly, her mouth forming an "O" shape.

Neither of the women had heard Jane arrive at the doorway a few minutes ago, and when she heard what her mother said, Jane was quick to hide herself. She knew she shouldn't have been eavesdropping, but she couldn't find it in herself to move once her mother spoke again.

"I just wish…I just wish Rumple was here, Ruby. And I know I shouldn't. I know I have you and Jane, and even Emma and Snow have been so wonderful to me…" Belle began, her voice starting to waver. "I just _need_ _him_," she whimpered, wiping a few stray tears from her cheeks.

Ruby gently pulled Belle into a hug, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "It's okay to miss him. True love doesn't just go away. You can't just stop feeling it…even if you want to." She sighed, briefly reminded of her own true love.

Belle sniffed and wiped under her eyes again, pulling out of the embrace and sitting back in the bed. "You know what the worst part is though? The worst part is that I remember every part of him. I remember how he smelled, how he walked. Ruby I even remember how he brushed his teeth; that's ridiculous."

Ruby took Belle's hand again, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You know, Belle…you could find him. After all this is over, you could go find him. Hell, I'd even come with you if you want," Ruby suggested with a hopeful smile.

"No. _No_. He could be anywhere Ruby! It's been _fifteen years_! And even if by some insane circumstance I did find him, there's no way he would still love me. Ruby you know what I did! I'm the reason he's gone! And Jane! I'm the reason he doesn't know his own daughter! How would he ever forgive me for that!?" Belle cried, slumping down on the pillows behind her.

"You know exactly where he would go. New York's not that far…and I may not be the guy's biggest fan, but I know he could never stop loving you. I've never seen anyone look at someone the way he looked at you."

Maybe Ruby was right. Maybe Rumple was in New York, and maybe he did still love her. But Belle couldn't afford to think like that. In her mind there was a good chance he didn't love her, and that kind of heartbreak was not something that she wanted to go through again.

At some point during her story, Jane had sat back down on the other end of the couch, again fingering the gold edges while she spoke. When she finished she looked back up at Rumple, who was leaned over, elbows on his knees, staring at his feet with an unreadable expression on his face.

"_Well? _Believe me now?" Jane asked, leaning forward to try to catch his attention.

He still said nothing.

"Rumplestiltskin? Did you hear any of that?" Jane questioned, letting her hands fall heavily on the book on her knees.

Still he wordlessly stared at his feet.

"Hellooo? _DAD!" _Jane shouted, waving her hand in front of his eyes.

He lifted his head then –_finally- _and blinked at her.

"Were you listening to anything I just said?" Jane exclaimed.

"Sorry-sorry yes…I just…I just needed to clear my head for a moment," Rumple responded quickly. "I don't understand…after everything I did, how she can still love me? How can she think that I would stop loving her?"

Suddenly the sound music filled his small apartment, stopping him from continuing.

"_I lost my head in San Francisco- Waiting for the fog to roll out- But I found it in a rain cloud- it was smiling down."_

Jane rushed over to where her backpack was, unzipping a pocket and pulling out her ringing smartphone.

"Well why don't you ask her?" she said, showing him the device.

Confused, Rumple leaned forward and squinted at the glowing screen, gasping at what he saw.

The photo staring back at him was of a woman, she was smiling despite the dullness of her blue eyes, her face was pale and thin, she was wearing a colorful scarf wrapped around her head, and he immediately recognized her. The words above the photo confirming what he already knew.

**Mom Calling. **

**Another little note; I know Osteosarcoma is most commonly found in children, but it was the only cancer I could think of that would work for where I wanted to go with this, and although it's not common, it can be found in older adults. ****  
>I did do quite a bit of research on Osteosarcoma for this because I want it to be as accurate as possible, so if I got anything wrong please let me know. :)<br>**

**And as always, please fav and review! xx **


	4. Chapter 4

**Tiny little note:  
><strong>****I'm SO sorry this chapter took so long! This chapter just did not want to be written. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it actually ended up being longer than any previous chapters, and one of my favorite chapters thus far. :)****

**This chapter takes place the same day that Jane ran away/found Rumple. **

Belle woke with a start from another particularly unpleasant dream. Groggy from her abruptly ended sleep, she turned her head to check the time. _9:45._

Letting her head sink back into her pillow, she tried to steady her breathing and calm the panic that came along with these kinds of dreams.

The dreams were no doubt a side-effect of one of the drugs she had been on since the surgery. While they seemed to be occurring less and less, when she _did_ have one it was always worse than the last, and they were almost always about Jane.

This time they were at the town line. Jane was walking slowly toward it, and as hard as she tried, Belle couldn't call out to her. When she tried to reach out for her daughter, Jane only drifted father away. Belle tried to run to Jane, but she simply collapsed, unable to move as her daughter melted away into the blue glow of the invisible wall cursing the town-line.

Belle shuddered at the memory of the dream, and the memory that caused the dream.

Of course, she didn't need to worry about the town-line anymore. The curse had been broken years ago, allowing the people of StoryBrooke to come and go safely, while still hiding the town from the outside world and the danger of strangers wandering into their magical little town.

There were still dangers though; wherever there's magic there will always be dangers. These dangers, however, paled in comparison to what Storybrooke had seen before- Well it was probably a coincidence that they lessened after… Yes it was definitely a coincidence.

At any rate, Jane wasn't in danger. So Belle shook off the unpleasant feelings left by the dream, and sat up, attempting to wake up enough to get out of bed. Jane would have gone to school hours ago, but Ruby would be coming over any minute, so at least she didn't have to face an empty house after her nightmare.

She and Ruby had always been close, but after she found out she was pregnant they grew even closer; as strange as it sounded, Ruby had taken on the role of best friend, sister, and mother all at the same time. She went to all the doctor's appointments, all the ultrasounds, had soothed all the raging hormones, had helped with all the shopping –helped was an understatement. She had practically designed the nursery herself-, and of course, she had been there when Jane entered the world.

Ruby had gone through it all with Belle, so it was only fitting that she would do the exact same thing when Belle got sick. Ruby had been through hell with her, and there was comfort in knowing she wouldn't be going anywhere.

As if on cue, before Belle had even reached for her crutches, she heard the telltale sound of keys rattling at the front door, followed by a loud "Morning!" from her friend. Moments later her bedroom door swung open and in rushed a very bundled up Ruby.

"You're still in bed?! Are you okay?! You must not be okay if I was up before you," Ruby teased, shedding her gloves, hat, and scarf, shoving them in the pockets of her coat -which was immediately deposited on top of Belle's dresser- before running into the adjoined bathroom. "Just a sec , I had like 600 cups of coffee this morning and I haven't peed since I left home!" she shouted from the bathroom.

"Oh _GOD_. What has this world come to!? Ruby Lucas is awake before Belle Gold!?" Belle cried dramatically, throwing her arms in the air, and throwing the comforter off her torso in the process.

"Oh shut up!" Ruby called from the bathroom, causing Belle to roll her eyes and snort at the ridiculousness of the situation.

"Gods how long are you going to be in there? Did you literally have 600 cups of coffee?" Belle murmured, reaching for the crutches that were leaned against the wall _just _out of reach. _Of course, _Belle thought bitterly when the crutches promptly fell in the opposite direction the moment she touched them. She cursed under her breath and swung her leg over the edge of the bed, using the night table as leverage to pull herself up.

Hopping on her good leg (_Only leg…_she forgot that sometimes), she slowly made her way around to where her crutches lay on the ground. Now she couldn't very well bend over and pick them up, so she tried squatting down, one hand still holding tightly to the edge of the night table-

"_What… are you doing?" _Ruby said flatly, startling Belle at how close she had managed to get without a sound.

_Shit._

"I was just getting my crutches…they fell," Belle replied just as flatly.

Ruby sighed... Gods she hated it when Ruby sighed like that.

"Belle…I know you want to do things on your own but yo-"

"I _know. _I can't," Belle grumbled as she stood –with the help of Ruby's arm looped through hers.

After Belle was standing, still using the night table as support, Ruby bent and retrieved the crutches, much to the quiet annoyance of Belle.

"I hate this," Belle said quietly, taking the crutches from Ruby.

"I know. But hey-" Ruby started, putting her hand gently on Belle's arm. "It won't be for much longer! You know Emma and Geppetto have been working on your prosthetic," she continued, giving Belle's arm a squeeze.

Emma and Geppetto had been working on a prosthetic since before her leg was even removed, taking measurements and photographs of the leg from all angles for reference. Geppetto was crafting the leg itself from wood, carving and sanding until it near perfectly resembled the shape of her real leg, and Emma was enchanting it to move more life-like than a simple wooden leg. That _did _make Belle feel better.

"Emma even said she'd make sure you'd be able to wear heels again! After some practice of course…but still!"

Ruby's constantly hopeful mood had gotten Belle out of countless funks, and it was doing its magic right now. "You're right…" Belle smiled, "And I know it's okay to need help… I just hate feeling so helpless. I just want to _do things,_" she sighed.

"Well…I was thinking we'd go tomorrow. But I think it'll be the perfect thing to make you feel better today," Ruby said, grinning wildly. "Get dressed! We're going to the library!"

Going to the library was an _amazing _idea. Belle hadn't been in weeks, and she had already read every book Jane brought home; twice.

Although Belle's spirits had drooped for a second time that morning when she needed Ruby's help to get into her dress, they were immediately renewed once she stepped foot in the library. The scent of a library was something that would never fail to lift Belles spirits, and Ruby knew this.

With a grin, Ruby pulled the oldest looking book she could find from the nearest shelf, flipping to the middle and thrusting it into Belles face. _"_Sniff!_" _she insisted.

Belle giggled and breathed deeply, letting the heavy scent of must and what she had always thought of as the scent of knowledge, fill her nostrils. _Maybe today won't be too bad after all. _She thought, letting her small grin turn into a full smile.

The trip to the library was a success. Belle felt better than she had in days –despite being quite tired from the extra exertion, she had a new stack of books to conquer, and on top of that, Emma had just called to tell her that she would be able to test her prosthetic as early as tomorrow morning. It was shaping up to be a great day.

By the time 4 o'clock rolled around, Belle was half-way through some out of date book on the workings of cinematography and Ruby was getting ready to go home when Belle's phone lit up with a text from Jane.

_**I'm gonna spend the night at Alex's tonight. We have a group project this week that we need to work on. That ok?**_

Belle absolutely did _not _buy that excuse.

If there was a group project, she would have heard about it; and she hadn't. Belle wasn't really even sure _why _Jane would need to make up an excuse to spend the night with her best friend, but she deserved a night away once in a while; Alex's house was practically a second home for Jane anyway.

_**Yes that's fine. Have fun baby girl. Love you 3**_

"Hey Ruby?" Belle called once she had sent her reply. "What do you think about an impromptu girl's night in?"

Four hours, three containers of take out, and two movies later, both women were sprawled out on Belle's bed. They had lost interest in the third movie half an hour ago, instead discussing the events of the next day. Ruby would come by at 10:30 to take both Jane and herself to Geppetto's shop. The fitting would take around an hour, and they would all go to lunch afterwards. Jane would have to skip school, but Belle had a feeling her daughter wouldn't mind that one bit.

_Oh!_

Suddenly Belle realized Jane would have to actually know about these plans if she was going to come. _"_Crap! I need to tell Jane to come home in the morning," Belle said, grabbing her phone and typing out a quick text explaining tomorrow's plans to her daughter.

Minutes passed, then half an hour, and still no response from Jane.

Belle _knew _the girls weren't asleep. It wasn't even 9 o'clock! Which meant that Jane was either ignoring her or hadn't seen the text. Either way, Belle wanted Jane to come with her tomorrow, so she needed to make sure she would be home before 10:30.

Picking up her phone again, Belle dialed Ella's phone number. After a few rings, she picked up.

"Hey it's Belle. I didn't wake you up did I?"

"Oh no it's perfectly fine! Thomas and I were just finishing a movie. What did you need?"

"Could you just let Jane know I need her to be home before 10:30 tomorrow? I'm getting a prosthetic fitted and I want her to be there with me." Belle smiled at the thought of finally being able to do things with her daughter. They could go for morning hikes like they used too, or walk to get ice cream. Just walking in general sounded amazing, but she was yanked out of her thoughts by Ella's voice.

"Jane isn't here."

"It's a little late for the girls to be going out by themselves don't you think?" She was almost annoyed with Ella for letting her daughter leave the house at this time of night without asking her first. Storybrooke may be a small town, but that doesn't mean it's safe for 15 year old girls to be walking around at night _alone. _

"No, Belle, Jane hasn't been over tonight. Alex is sitting right here." Ella's worried tone nearly sent Belle into a panic.

"Can I talk to Alex?"

She heard a bit of rustling, and Ella's muffled voice telling Alex that Jane's mom wanted to talk to her. Ella still sounded worried, which only spurred on Belle's panic.

"Hey Mrs. Gold. What's going on? Is Jane okay?"

Belle felt her stomach tighten and her toes and finger numb, signs of an oncoming panic attack. _That _would definitely not be helpful in this situation. Ruby must have noticed because she squeezed her arm, a concerned look on her face, and mouthed _what's going on?_

"Alex, Jane said she was coming to your house tonight to work on a group project."

"We don't have a group project." -_She knew it- _"And Jane's not here."

Suddenly she felt light headed; the panic was worsening by the second, and it must have been showing on her face, because Ruby looked even more concerned.

"Alex. Do you have any idea where she could be?"

"No, I'm really sorry Mrs. Gold. Jane didn't tell me if she was going anywhere."

Belle knew the girl wouldn't lie to her, especially when it came to the whereabouts of Jane. "Ok. Thank you Alex."

"Wait! Belle, can you please tell me if you find her?"

Alex rarely used Belle's first name –even though Belle insisted that something as formal as "Mrs. Gold" wasn't necessary. She was obviously very worried about Jane too. "I will. I'll tell you as soon as I know anything." And with that she hung up.

Belle turned to Ruby, the panic evident on her face. "Ruby, Jane lied to me. She's not at Alex's! She's not answering my texts! She could be in trouble! Or hurt!"

"Belle! Breathe. You have to breathe like Archie showed you okay?" Ruby said as calmly as possible, bringing herself to sit cross legged in front of Belle. "Remember how Archie showed you? Breathe with your belly. Just breathe." Ruby soothed, rubbing her hands up and down Belles arms.

Once Belle was breathing normally Ruby spoke again. "How about you try calling her?"

_That probably would have been a good idea 10 minutes ago. _

"O-ok. You're right. It's probably nothing. She probably just went to Granny's with Phillip or something. I just need to call her." She took a long, deep, calming breath, before picking up her phone for the third time and dialing her daughter's phone number.

And it just. Kept. _Ringing_.

It was nearly unbearable.

"Answer it!" Jane cried, thrusting the phone into Rumple's face again.

"No! She's calling _you! _ Remember she doesn't even know you're here?! Or that you're with _me?!_" Rumple nearly shouted, jumping –or as close as he could get to jumping with his leg- from the couch and pacing in front of it.

Belle was calling their daughter. Their daughter was standing in his living room. He has a daughter. Who is currently standing in his living room. Being called by Belle. Who is the mother of his daughter. _This has to be a dream. _

But it wasn't a dream, and he knew that, and the phone was still ringing.

"Jane you have to answer it. You have to tell her where you are. She must be worried sick!"

Jane shot him and glare and made some kind of grumble of annoyance, then brought the phone to her ear.

And the ringing stopped, and he momentarily thought about the fact that Belle was on the other side of that phone, and according to Jane, she missed him. But he shook the thought from his mind, he couldn't let himself think like that; he couldn't let himself believe that she could still love him. That stopped though, when he heard the muffled sound of Belle's voice coming from Jane's phone. She sounded desperate, hysterical almost. And all he wanted to do in that moment was go to her. Go to her and hold her and comfort her, tell her everything would be fine; just like he had done so many nights, so many years ago, when nightmares would plague her sleep and leave her sobbing into his chest.

He wasn't listening to the words being said, no, he couldn't focus on anything but the sound of Belle's voice. He could tell Jane was telling her where she was, who she was with, but he still only heard Belle's voice. Fifteen years. It had been _fifteen years _since he heard that voice. The voice that echoed in his mind every second of day, the voice that haunted his dreams…and his nightmares. But it was also the voice that had spoken sweetly in his ear in the dead of night, the voice that had moaned his name when they made love, the voice that told the silliest jokes that had never failed to make him laugh.

He knew then, what he had to do. No matter how hard a part of him fought, no matter how much he wanted to run, this was his chance. Twice he had the chance to choose Belle, and both times he lost her. This time would be different; it had to be.

Suddenly he was pulled from the abyss of his thoughts, a hand on his shoulder yanking him into the present.

"Rumplestiltskin?" Jane began gently.

He focused his vision, she was still holding the phone to her ear, and he realized that he had stopped pacing and was now standing idle in the middle of his living room.

"Hey, you in there?" she continued a bit louder, but still gentle.

He couldn't speak, only nod and try desperately to listen to her words.

"Listen…My mom wants to talk to you okay? Can you talk to her for just a minute?" Jane asked softly, as if talking to a frightened animal. And he supposed he wasn't acting much different than one at the moment. But he had to push his fear aside, because Belle _wanted _to talk to him. He was about to talk to Belle for the first time in fifteen years. And he had no idea what he was going to say. So he just prayed to every god he didn't believe in for strength, and brought the phone to his ear.

It was a good thing Jane told her mother that she was handing him the phone, because he was completely silent.

"Rumplestiltskin?"

Chills ran through every inch of his body at hearing her voice so clearly.

"Rumplestiltskin are you there?"

He wasn't sure what did it, maybe the gods, maybe sheer willpower, but he somehow choked out a broken "Yes."

"You listen to me. You are going to get my daughter home safely. _Our daughter. _Got it?" Belle said with feigned confidence and crumbling composure.

"Y-yes…Yes of course," he breathed, hoping that she heard him, or that he even spoke out loud.

"Good then." Her voice was quieter now, the tiny shred of confidence gone. "I guess…I guess I'll see you both when you get here then." Her voice broke at the end, and he briefly pictured her, tears beginning to breach her eyes; he knew that look well.

"Yeah…"

What else was he supposed to say? _I'm still in love with you. I forgive you. I choose you. _No. He couldn't say any of that. That could wait until he could look into her eyes.

"I'm going to go…Rumple…_take care of our daughter_."

He could hear the strain in her voice, the fear, and it struck him like a blow to the chest.

Then somehow he gathered enough strength, and the moment before she hung up, he spoke.

"Belle wait…" he sputtered. He wasn't even sure what he was going to say, he just needed to hear her voice a little longer. "I…It was nice to hear your voice again."

She said nothing, and for a moment he panicked. Was that too much? Too far?

"It was nice to hear your voice too, Rumple." And then there was a beep, and she was gone.

He inwardly smiled and his chest bubbled with hope.

_Maybe this could work. _


End file.
